


Home is where the heart is

by KazukiKuma



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Alive Cole Anderson, Amanda is evil, Brothers, Cole will fight u if u hurt Connor, Connor and RK900 are Twins, Connor is the older twin, Dad Hank, Gavin fucks shit up, Hank Adopts Connor, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, Hank is best dad, Human AU, M/M, Markus comes in at a later time, Nines - Freeform, Siblings, as usual, good bros, highschool, millennial humour, slight mention of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:53:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15641160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KazukiKuma/pseuds/KazukiKuma
Summary: Hank expected a lot of things from his son Cole being the wild card that he is but what he didn't expect was his son coming up to him seeking help for his new friend Connor who seems to be in an abusive household. Hank decides to investigate a bit and ended up feeling bad for the poor kid and somehow ended up making up his mind to adopt the kid and giving him the best goddamn loving family he deserves. What has he gotten himself into?





	1. A favour

Hank was sitting on the couch watching the latest sports news on the TV when his son Cole popped into the living room looking nervous. Hank raised an eyebrow in suspicion at his son before making some room on the couch and patted the seat beside him. Cole sat down and begun silently fidgeting his hands together and looked at his dad hesitantly.

“What’s going on Son?” Hank asked with a tinge of worry in his tone. Cole was silent for a few moments before he began speaking. “Uh Dad, I know this kid at school and I think he’s not living in a good home.” Cole was a bit hesitant in saying the next part but he managed to muster out a quiet and sad “I think he’s being abused by his foster mom.”

Hank sat there in shock before processing what his son had said. He pondered for a bit before answering. “What do you want me to help with son?” he sat up straighter on the couch, TV forgotten as he focused his full attention on his son.

“I want to help him Dad, he’s such a nice kid and I always hang out with him during lunch because he was always sitting alone and reading mystery novels and we got along well since we both love mystery books.” Cole expressed his fondness for his friend.

“A few weeks ago, I noticed some bruises on him and asked him about it but he quickly covered it up and changed the topic after disregarding it as him being clumsy.” Cole said with a disbelieving look on his face. Hank began rubbing circles onto his son’s arm to calm him down and encourage him to continue his story.

“ I wasn’t convinced about it but I dropped it cause he seemed uncomfortable about it. More bruises started appearing and I was about to confront him about it but then he stopped coming to school. I was worried but I couldn’t even contact him to ask if he was ok because he didn’t have a phone.” Cole huffed, leaning into Hank’s soothing gesture.

“ Yesterday, he finally came to school. I was so relieved to see him! Until I saw that he was wearing a cast on his arm. I asked him if he was alright and he insisted he was fine but I wasn’t having any of it and pulled him over to a secluded part in school and convinced him that I could help him and that my dad is a cop and would help protect him. He immediately bursts into tears and hesitantly told me that he was being abused by his foster mom for years now.” Cole said with hatred in his eyes for the woman who had hurt his friend.

“ I’ll look into it Son. I’ll make sure I’ll do my damn best in helping the kid.” Hank pulled his son into a hug and stroke his son’s hair comforting the now sniffling boy. “ So what’s this kid’s name,Son?” Hank asked after Cole had finally calmed down.

“His name is Connor.” Cole smiled at him.

“Connor huh..” Hank repeated. “Bring him here to our house tomorrow if you can. Say that I’m throwing a dinner party and invite him over. I wanna take a look at him first to confirm that he’s ok and what I can do to help his situation.” Hank grunted as Cole beamed at him and lunged at him for another hug while Sumo catches on to their hugging and decides to join in on the fun too.

“ACK! Get off me ya wild hooligans!” Hank yelled but a grin escaped him betraying his actions. “Thanks so much dad! I can’t wait for you to meet Connor! You’ll love him!” Cole said excitedly as he scrambled off to his room to pack up his bag for school tomorrow morning. Hank couldn’t help but give out a small laugh at his son’s silly antics. He love the boy so much and is proud of what Cole has become and how kindhearted his boy is for wanting to help his fellow friend in need.

Hank had nearly lost Cole in a car accident when Cole was younger and after that life changing experience, he had cleaned up his act and started cherishing his time with his son a lot more. The thought of Connor being mistreated had made him angry at his foster mom. How could someone abuse an innocent kid like that? They were supposed to protect him and give him the love he needs.

Hank turned off the TV before giving Sumo a pat on the head before making his way to his bedroom to sleep. He had a big day tomorrow. He has to pick up Cole from school and do some grocery shopping to prepare for his son’s friend visiting.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm suuuuuper nervous to post this but I had so much ideas for this fic and just wanted to try writing it all out and see what happens. So, this would be my first fic ever written! Last time I wrote a fic was when I was like 12 and it was so bad and I never wrote one ever again until now. Please be gentle with me cause I have no experience writing anything whatsoever and English isn't my first language so you might see some errors in the fic ;w; I always struggle with writing past and present tense, I'm so sorry TuT. Anyways hope you enjoy my first fic!


	2. Connor

Connor was nervous. He had told his friend Cole about his home life. His foster mom, Amanda had told him that if he ever told any soul that he was being abused then she would make sure that his twin sibling would suffer the consequences. Connor hasn’t seen his sibling, Collin for a few months now. He usually calls Collin by his nickname “Nines” because it was his lucky number. Amanda had separated them after Nines had tried to fight back when Connor was protecting him from Amanda’s wrath when Nines had came back with a new mystery novel for Connor.

Amanda wasn’t pleased that Nines had a hidden stash of money and had bought Connor a book and felt cheated that she wasn’t receiving all the money that was given by Cyberlife to take care of the orphan boys. She had confiscated all of Nine’s money and tried taking back the book he bought from Connor when Nines had fought her back and yelled at her to return Connor’s book back. Connor saw Amanda raising her hand to strike Nines and had come between them to protect him and taking the hit intended for Nines.

After that argument, Amanda had thought it best to separate them because Nines was seen as a bad influence on Connor and would make Connor disobey her. Nines was shipped off to boarding school in another state and was supervised by one of Amanda’s hired worker to make sure that he behave and she had threatened him similarly with Connor.

Connor shook his head clearing his mind. If Amanda found out that he had told Cole about it she would surely do unimaginable things to Nines. Connor bit his lip as he exits the school bus he was in and took a deep breath as he entered the school property and walked to his class.

A lot of students gave him strange looks as he passed the school hall because of his arm sling. Amanda had punished him for arriving late from school and had roughly shoved him into the basement. Connor had slipped on the basement stairs from the rough treatment and had fallen several stairs down and had broke his arm in the process. He was locked in the basement overnight without food or water, crying in pain in the damp and dark room until he was finally released the next morning.

Cole had cornered him yesterday and had repeatedly reassure him that he would be safe and that he can tell him anything and if he needs help because his dad is a cop and would help him. Connor didn’t know what came over him but in that moment, he just broke. He had cried and let out all of his frustrations and told Cole the truth about him being abused.

Now he couldn’t help but feel nervous as if Amanda resides in his head and knows everything he did and that he told someone about it. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he bumped into someone and dropped the books he was carrying.

“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE FUCKING GOING ASSHOLE!” An angry voice shouted at him. Shit. Out of all the days and I bumped into him of all people. Connor thought to himself before looking at the boy in front of him. “Sorry Gavin. I’ll be careful next time.” Connor apologized to him before bending down to pick up his scattered books.

“You better fucking be. Now that loser Nines isn’t here, you ain’t got no one to protect you.” Gavin spat before kicking Connor’s book further away from him. “Get the fuck outta my sight you fucking nerd.” Gavin loomed over him.

“HEY! GAVIN! THIS BITCH EMPTY, **YEET**!” A voice shouted across the hall before a soda can soared through the air and miraculously pummeled into the back of Gavin’s head with a loud “THWACK!”.

“OW SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK?!” Gavin furiously turned to the accused. “ Leave him the fuck alone Gavin. Before I fuck your face up more than it already is.” Cole said with anger.

“What does it matter to you Anderson? He’s your lil boy toy or something huh?” Gavin snarled at the other teen. “Any decent person have eyes to see that what your doing is mean. Go take out your pent up issues somewhere else and leave Connor alone.” Cole warned him.

Cole approached Connor and bent down to get his things for him when Connor’s eye widened in surprise as Gavin ran towards Cole to attack him but Cole was faster and had swung his legs and tripped Gavin, causing the other teen to fall flat on his face. Students passing by couldn’t help but laugh at him and Gavin had gotten up quickly looking embarrassed before glaring back at Cole and Connor and had muttered a “ You better fucking watch out Anderson. This isn’t over.” Before furiously scrambling away from the crowd of students gathering to watch them.

“Are you okay Connor?” Cole had softened when he turned back to help Connor stand up. “Yeah, I’m fine Cole. Thanks.” Connor said with a small smile. Cole made sure to walk Connor to his class to make sure he’s fine before saying that he’ll meet up with Connor at lunch and that he needed to tell him something and waved him goodbye as he runs to his own respective class.

“I wonder what’s so important that he couldn’t tell me before class?” Connor mused to himself, fidgeting with his lucky penny. “Hope it’s not nothing bad” he thought nervously before focusing back to his class as the teacher bid the class a good morning and started the lesson for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hank would probably be proud to see his son absorbing his millennial humour to save those he loves. But would probably still smack him on the head for endangering other people by throwing a tin can on someone xD Hope you guys like the second chapter <3 I wish I could write longer but we'll see how it goes, I want to take it slow and steady first ^w^


	3. Dinner at Hank’s

After class, Connor had packed up his books into his bag and started making his way to the cafeteria to meet up with Cole. Even though the 16 year old had skipped a grade, he didn’t have the same classes with Cole. He walked to his usual secluded table, sat down and took out the book Nines had previously bought for him to reread it while he waited for Cole to arrive. He read a few pages when he heard someone placing their bag across him. He looked up and smiled as Cole greeted him with a casual “Yo, Connor!” before sliding some snacks towards him.

“I got you some snacks I snuck out from my dad’s secret stash. He thinks I don’t know about it but being a detective’s son you pick up a few skills.” Cole grinned at him. “Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?” Connor eyed the snacks in front of him wearily. “Yeah it’s cool. What’s he gonna do? Throw me in jail? Actually, now that you mentioned it, he once literally did put me in jail for eating the last of his donut when I was visiting him at the police station. I was in there for 10 minutes until his boss, Jeffrey saw me in there and smacked my dad on the head and told him to release me.” Cole snickered at the memory.

Connor tried to suppress his laugh at the older teen’s silly story but failed and ended up wheezing into the book he was holding. “Anyways, beside you having a criminal record for eating an officer’s donut what was so important that you wanted to see me at lunch for?” Connor inquired curiously as he picked one of the snacks Cole had brought and started tearing the bag of chips and plopping one of it into his mouth.

“Well…” Cole began as he too began sorting through the snack pool and tearing into a packet of cookies. “My dad wants you to come over to my house and have dinner with us. So I was wondering if you’d be down for that.” Cole finished as he looked up at Connor to gauge his reaction. Connor froze. If he was late back home, Amanda would surely be suspicious of him. “I don’t know Cole…Amada would question me if I were to arrive home late from school.” Connor’s scrunched his eyebrows together as he pondered whether if he should go or not.

“It’s ok Connor, I can give Amanda a call and say that we’re in a study group and I need your help with something.” Cole said when Connor wasn’t responding. “Isn’t that lying?” Connor shot Cole a worried look. “It’ll be fine Connor, I can ask my dad to give Amanda a call so that she knows that you’d be “studying” at my place. What’s she gonna do? Not allow it? It’d be shady if she held you back” Cole said trying to reassure Connor. “I guess we could try it out and see.” Connor said reluctantly. “Nice! Alright so I’ll call my dad to let him know what’s up and we’ll meet up again in front of the school yeah?” Cole beamed at the younger boy excitedly. “Alright.” Connor agreed. “Now help me inhale all these snacks and leave no trace so that my dad won’t find any later.” Cole said as he teared into another packet of snack with vigor. Connor just laughed at the older teen and helped him eat the snacks before they both parted ways to get to their classes once lunch was over.

Connor’s next class was art history. He wasn’t really good in Art but he couldn’t help but take an interest in it. The thought of expressing oneself through art gave him a warm feeling of belonging in it. It’s such a great way for him to express his feelings and give his mind a challenge to interpret what other artists are trying to convey in their art piece. He sat at the back of the class where he can observe his fellow classmates from afar and to give him a little privacy when he does his work. He sat at his usual table and waited for the teacher to begin the lesson.

“Now before I begin the lessons class, I would like to introduce to you a new student.” The teacher announced as the classroom falls into a hush of curious whispers amongst the students. “Come along now and introduce yourself.” The teacher beckoned the student over. Connor held his breath as the teenage boy stood in front of the class and introduce himself as Markus. He was about the same height as Connor and sported a buzzcut. The thing that captivated him the most was the bicoloured eyes. Their eyes met for a brief second and Markus shot him a warm smile. Connor blushed and quickly turned his gaze away onto his notebook.

“Everyone, be nice to Markus and help him if he needs anything alright? Markus, you can sit at the back with Connor over there.” The teacher gestured towards Connor. Markus thanked the teacher before making his way over to the seat beside Connor’s. Once he sat down, he turned to Connor “Hey, nice to meet you Connor. Hope we can get along well.” Markus smiled at him.” P-pleasure to meet you too M-Markus.” Connor stuttered and blushed even more as the other teen grinned amusedly at him. Markus was about to say something else when the teacher called for their attention and began the class when the students are focused on him once more.

The teacher began to discuss to them about the beginning of art that started with Ice age paintings where artist drew, painted and even carved images of animals with surprising realism and energy and how the earliest paintings in the most famous of the caves, Lascaux, dates back from about 15,000 BC. Class went on as usual and Connor was engrossed when they were learning about sculptures when the bell rang signifying the end of class. Connor began to pack up and leave when Markus stopped him midway. “Hey Connor, can I have your contact number? I don’t really know anyone else in this class and It’d be easier for me to contact you if I have any problems.” Connor bit his lip before sighing “I’m sorry but no.” Markus looked disappointed but Connor quickly tried to fix it “Sorry if that seemed rude! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just- I don’t really have a phone.” Connor rubbed the back of his head embarrassed.

Markus nodded in understanding. “Hey hey, It’s alright Connor. No need to be embarrassed. Is there any other way I can find you if I want to ask something?” Markus asked. “U-Uh you can find me during lunch every day at the back of the canteen with my friend Cole. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you sat with us.” Connor replied. “That’s great! Hope I won’t be imposing on you guys.” He smiled. “See you tomorrow then, Connor.” Markus waved him goodbye as they both left the class. Connor waved back and gripped the front of his shirt when Markus was out of sight. All Connor could think of was how fast his heart was beating and how warm he felt when he was in Markus’s presence. He discarded the thought and shook his head in denial. He turned away and began to make his way to meet up with Cole. He has another matter to worry about.

Connor waited for Cole in front of the school until he finally saw Cole running at him full speed when he spotted him. “CONNORRRRRRRRRRRRR” Cole yelled as he ran and leapt into him excitedly while still somehow managing to not jostle him too much, being mindful of his arm in a cast. “Amanda said you could come over to my house! My dad managed to persuade her into letting you come over with his ace detective skills.” Cole grinned. “That’s- That’s actually pretty amazing. It takes a lot to convince Amanda.” Connor said in awe. “Yep. That’s my dad for ya. Now we just have to wait for him to pick us up.” Cole was about to drag Connor somewhere where they can sit and wait but a car honking at them stopped them in their tracks. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Cole smirked amusedly.

 “Who ya callin a devil, kid?” Hank grunted out through the rolled down window of the car. Connor chuckled as Cole sassily replied with “Well I’m looking at him.” and Hank rolling his eyes before saying “Just get in the car smart ass. We’re going grocery shopping first before we head home and eat.” Both Cole and Connor got into the car as settled themselves as Hank turned down his heavy metal music to a reasonable volume. “What’d you guys would like to eat for dinner?” Hank asked as he drove away from the school. “What about spaghetti? and mac and cheese ooh I’ve been craving those for a while now.” Cole said enthusiastically. “What about you Connor?” Hank peered into the rearview mirror to briefly look at him. “Oh it’s alright Mr.Anderson. I’m not picky.” Connor replied. Hank nodded before continuing their drive to the grocery store.

When they reached there, Hank grabbed the shopping cart and all of them made their way to the pasta isle and grab what they needed. Cole was grabbing some other stuff that they were running out of at home and Connor helped Cole carry as much as he can manage before dumping it into the cart that Hank was pushing. They were in the chocolate isle when Connor spotted a brightly coloured candy packaging. It was a sweet and sour candy that was his and Nines favourite back when they were kids. He had always favoured the sweet flavours while Nines had preferred the latter so it was a win win situation for the both of them. He hasn’t had any in years due to Amanda confiscating them and saying that they were a waste of money.

Cole saw how longingly Connor looked at the sweet and sour candy and pointed it out to Hank and asked if he could buy some for Connor. Hank had agreed and Cole approached Connor and picked the candy up from the shelf. “We’ll get you some of these if you want Connor.” Connor blinked in surprise. “I don’t want to trouble you and Mr. Anderson more than I already have. It’s ok, Amanda would only just confiscate it when I get back home anyways cause she thinks it’s a waste of money so it’ll be a shame to see it get thrown out.” Connor said sadly.

“Listen kid, first of all just call me Hank. Second of all, who cares what Amanda thinks? What do YOU want? Just say the word and we’ll get it for you kid. You can always just hide the sweets at your school locker and eat it at school to not get caught by Amanda.” Hank added in helpfully.

“Alright. If you’re sure about it. Thank you Mr- Hank.” Connor smiled sheepishly. Cole grabbed a few of the sweet and sour candy and dumped it into their growing pile of grocery in the cart. “Alright that’s about it. Time to go boys.” Hank said as he wheeled the cart to the check out counter.

They reached home after a few minutes and went to unload the groceries. Hank unlocked the door followed by Cole and Connor when a brown blur blocked Connor’s vision and Cole was pushed onto the floor.” GAH SUMO! I miss you too buddy but please get off of me.” Connor was alarmed to see a giant St. Bernard on top of his friend. “Are you hurt Cole?” Connor asked worriedly.

“Yeah, M’fine Connor. This fluffball just doesn’t realize he’s not a puppy anymore.” Cole said amusedly as he got back up and dusted himself off. “Wanna pet him?” Cole wiggled his eyebrows invitingly at him. “He’s suuuuuuuper soft.” Cole added in when he saw Connor battling with his self control. “Alright Cole. Just a few pets.” Connor said as he walked towards Sumo.

5 minutes later and Connor had a sudden realization that he was caught in a trap. He was laying on the living room sofa with Sumo on his lap, trapping him there as he demands more pets. “Oh no, Cole. I like dogs.” Connor said with a serious face. Cole just laughed at how serious his friend looked. “You make it sound like it’s the end of the world Connor.”

“It might as well be. It seems Sumo has compromised me.” Connor tried to move but failing miserably. “Good. Stay put Connor, you’re the guest of honour so let me and my dad do all the cooking while you take a break and entertain Sumo – and NO “But’s” young man.” Cole finished before Connor could retort back. “I’m a year younger than you Cole-“

“Ah- I hear my dad calling me gotta go help him out mmmkay byeeeeee.” Cole said quickly before he disappeared into the kitchen. Connor huffed as he continued petting a content Sumo. He could hear Cole and Hank bickering in the kitchen on how much sauce should be made for the pasta and smiled at how silly their conversations are. He felt a little out of place as if he’s interrupted their private time and felt bad about it.

Connor took out his lucky penny and started to flick it across his fingers to help ease his feelings while he waited for dinner to be ready. He flicked through the channels on the TV while mindlessly toying with his penny when Cole reappeared after a while, announcing that dinner is served while doing an exaggerated bow. Connor just snorted at his friend before carefully extracting himself from Sumo. He followed Cole to the dinner table and was amazed at how good it looked.

“Dad burnt a bit of the spaghetti but it’s still edible.” Cole shot a teasing look towards Hank. “I burnt it? You were the one who set the fire on full blast.” Hank protested. “Anyways, dig in Connor!” Cole ignored his dad’s protest and pulled out a chair to sit in and gestured for Connor to do the same.

Connor took a seat and waited for Hank and Cole to start eating before digging into it himself. His eyebrows rose up in delight when the flavours hit him and he accidentally let out a satisfied moan. “Jesus Christ kid, what on earth are they feeding you at home if my semi burnt spaghetti could get this much of a reaction from you? You look like you found enlightenment.” Hank said amusedly.

“My apologies Hank, I never got to eat this sort of stuff. I usually eat a nutritiously balanced meal at home but it always tasted so bland.” Connor apologized. “No need to be sorry kid, heck have all the pasta you want as long as you’re happy with it.” Hank replied, his gaze softening on the younger boy.

After that, they ate dinner peacefully. Well, as peacefully as they can with Hank and Cole bickering about everything and nothing at all at the same time. They finished their dinner, did the dishes and cleaned up when Cole and Hank made eye contact with each other and were silently communicating with themselves before Cole excused himself and said that he had to get something from his room and disappeared into his room, leaving Hank and Connor alone at the dining table.

Connor is smart and could see through his friend’s act but he appreciated his friend giving him some privacy for a chance to talk to Hank about his current situation with Amanda. Hank asked him to sit down and said that he wanted to talk to Connor about something. When Connor saw that Hank seemed at a loss on how to approach the subject. Connor took pity on him and just got straight to the point. “Is this about Amanda?”

Hank blinked in surprised but didn’t correct Connor’s statement. “Err yeah kid. The real reason I wanted you to come over was so that I can make sure that you’re doing ok. It seems Cole wasn’t messing around when he said how serious it is. Hank said as he eyed Connor’s arm in the sling with worry. “Why didn’t you tell anyone before? Why endure it all?” Hank asked as he looked at the boy with curiosity. “If Cole hadn’t been such a nosy lil shit and pried into your business I think we’d never find out.”

Connor hesitated and thought about the consequences of his actions before deciding to just fuck it and tell Hank everything because he was way in too deep already and might as well roll with it. “I was…threatened by Amanda. I have a twin brother, his name is Collin. He fought against Amanda because she was being unfair to me and we were separated. He’s in a boarding school somewhere in another state and I haven’t seen him since. If I ever told anyone, she said she’d make him suffer.” Connor explained sadly.

“Wait, you have a twin brother?” Hank asked brows shooting upwards. Connor nodded in confirmation. “Do you know what state or boarding school he went to?” Connor shooked his head frowning. “Amanda wouldn’t let me know in case I tried contacting him.”

Hank never felt so much hatred for a person before until he heard of what Amanda did to Connor and his brother. How could a person be so cruel to this gentle and kind boy? The kid has a lot of spirit in him and is wasting his youth away being deprived of everything he loves.

Hank didn’t know what happened, but he was so overwhelmed with emotions that the next thing he knew, he was hugging the younger boy. Connor was confused and stiff but melted into the hug after a while and awkwardly returned his hug. “Listen kid, I’ll do my damn best to get you outta that shit hole of a place and get your brother back with you. I can promise you that.” Hank said determinedly with a fire in his eyes.

Connor teared up when he heard what Hank had just promised. He is thankful that he met Cole and Hank. He never knew anyone else who was nice and cared so much for him besides his brother, Nines. Both Hank and Connor were an emotional wreck at the table. They both sat in quiet before Cole peaked in to check up on them. They both took a few minutes to calm down and make themselves presentable when Connor looked at the clock and suggested that he has to get back home or Amanda would be suspicious.

Hank and Cole were reluctant to let him leave after knowing what kind of place he lives in but they couldn’t do anything to help him yet as they have to construct a solid plan that would make sure that both Connor and Collin would be safe without Amanda catching onto them.

All of them got into the car and went on their way to send Connor back home but not before Hank gave him a small discreet black mobile phone. “Listen kid, Cole told me you didn’t have a phone so here’s one of my old phones that I’m not using. If there’s ever an emergency just call me or Cole alright? I put both of our numbers in there. Heck if you’re bored you can just text Cole or something, don’t worry about the bills and let me handle all of it alright?” Connor was about to protest but Hank just hushed him and insisted that he keeps it on him.

 Connor reluctantly took it and slid it into his bag pack. He made a move to open the car door when he felt Cole holding his arm back. “Be safe ok? and make sure to call or text me to let me know you’re all right.” Cole only let him go when he promised to text him before he finally got out of the car and made his way into his house. Hank and Cole watched as Connor safely made it into his house before driving back to their own home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor texting Cole at 2am : New phone who dis  
> Cole : Connor, I love you like a brother but I swear to god -


	4. Missing

After Connor got back home from Hank’s he was surprised when Amanda dismissed him instead of the usual interrogation. She seemed busy and was doing her best in ignoring his presence as she was talking to someone on the phone hastily. Connor pretended to go upstairs to his room but sat at the middle of the staircase instead, hidden by a wall but just close enough to not obstruct his hearing as he listened in on Amanda’s conversation as he was curious on what would make Amanda get so riled up?

“ …Listen, I don’t want any excuses Agent Perkins. We made a deal. I don’t talk about you murdering that kid, what was his name? Rupert? In exchange, you would make sure that you keep an eye on Collin. How could you lose him? This would jeopardize everything.” Connor felt his spine chill. Nines was missing? He was thinking of all the scenarios where Nines is hurt and need his help when he was interrupted with Amanda’s conversation once more.

“ Make sure you find him at all cost. I don’t care if you rough him up just make sure that you do it in places which are hard to see.” Amanda said coldly before clicking the phone off. Connor quietly retreated back into his room and laid on his bed, his face scrunched up in deep thought. Where could Nines be? Is he ok? Who is this Agent Perkins Amanda is talking about? He pulled out the phone that Hank had given him and pulled up the contact list. There is only 2 people inside. It was Hank and Cole. He pressed on Cole’s number and pulled up the message options and typed out a simple “Hello?” to test if it was working properly.

Not even a minute later he got a text back from Cole. “Connor? R u ok?” Connor couldn’t help but smile endearingly at Cole’s way of texting before he focused back on the main reason he was texting Cole. “ I’m fine but I think my brother isn’t. I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow.” Connor waited for a few moments before his phone vibrated again. “ Sure Con, see u tmrw at our usual spot” Connor sent another text confirming with Cole before he shut his phone off and hid it under his pillow as he got ready for bed.

The next day at school, Connor was at the table where he and Cole always hang out in the cafeteria. Cole was already there looking alert as he waited for Connor to tell him what happened last night. “ Nines is missing?!” Cole exclaimed looking alarmed. “ Yeah, I’m more worried about this Agent Perkins that Amanda mentioned. She said he murdered a kid name Rupert. Nines could be in danger with a man like him.” Connor knitted his eyebrows in worry. “ Alright, I’ll tell my dad about this and see what he can find out about this Perkins dude’s relation with Amanda and on Nine’s whereabout.” Cole was about to comfort Connor when another boy with a striking eye colour approached their table.

“ Hey Connor” The boy gave a small wave at Connor before nodding his head in acknowledgement towards Cole. Cole was confused and looked towards Connor to voice out his confusion when he saw something interesting. Connor was blushing and won’t meet the other boy’s eyes. “…Hi Markus, what brings you here?” Connor greeted back. “ Well, I was wondering if you’re free today and would like to hang out? Me and my friends are going to go to this café nearby that sells some good food. Your friend can come with us too if he wants.” Cole coughed to get Connor’s attention when the boy didn’t respond. “Oh..oh- yeah this is Cole. Cole, this is Markus. I’m sorry but I don’t think today is a good day to hang out.” Connor replied in a rush. “Oh, that’s alright. Maybe next time then.” Markus said sounding disappointed. “ Ya knooooow, my buddy Connor here recently got a new phone so you can just give him your phone number and he’ll let you know when he’s free.” Cole said cheekily as Connor gave him a ‘What the fuck are you doing’ look. “ That’d be nice if it’s ok with you Connor.” Markus beamed.

“ Y-yeah it’s fine.” Connor stuttered before passing his phone to Markus so that he can put his number in. Markus texted himself on Connor’s phone to save Connor’s number before passing it back to him. “ I have to go now, my friends are probably planning a cafeteria riot as we speak if I’m gone for too long. It was nice meeting you Cole and looking forward to hanging out with you Connor.” Markus waved to the both of them before joining back to his group of friends who were waiting for him nearby. Connor visibly deflated after Markus left their table which made Cole grin in mischief.

“Soooooooooooooooo, Markus huh?” Cole wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Connor. “Cole please be silent and let me be swallowed up by the void in peace.” Connor groaned. “Aww my lil baby Connor having his first crush! They grow up so fast” Cole pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be the best wingman you’ll ever have.” Cole proudly declared as he smack Connor in the back excitedly. “Cole please.” Connor shot him an exasperated look. “Alright, I’ll let it go. Who is this Markus guy anyway how did you guys meet? He seems nice.” Cole asked curiously. “ He’s in my art class, he sits beside me and we just… talked a little.” Connor said as he flicked his lucky coin in his hand nervously. “ Well he looks like a nice dude to hang out with. We should probably give him a chance, he looked like someone kicked his dog when you turned him down.” Cole snorted. “ I’m not even sure if I even have the chance to go out with him Cole. I wish I could but… Amanda is always watching my every move. It was even a struggle to just go over to your place.” Connor said frustratingly.

“Hey, don’t worry about it Con. Me and my dad will go to hell and back for you. You just gotta wait a lil bit for my dad to get the infos to take down Amanda ok? Just hold on alright? Soon you and Nine will be a free man.” Cole ruffled Connors hair getting a smile out of it. “Now that’s the cute Connor I know.” Connor just laughed at his friend’s silliness. No matter how bad it is, Cole could always make Connor’s day brighter. They parted ways after school had ended and Cole immediately went home and cracked open his dad’s work laptop to dig up some info about the Agent Connor had mentioned. Being a detective’s son sure has it perks and Cole is fully determined to use whatever her had picked up and learned from watching his dad work. A password popped up on the screen and Cole typed in “colethisbetternotbeyou” and grinned smugly when it was accepted. His dad doesn’t really bother to hide it anymore after Cole had managed to figure out all of his passwords correctly the first few times.

Cole felt like he had heard the name Perkins before but he can’t quite place a finger on it. He tried searching the name up on the web to see if he could get a hit and he gave a little cheer and fist pumped when it did. He clicked on the first article that appeared on the list.

_“ FBI Agent Richard Perkins successfully thwarted an underground human trafficking ring in Detroit. He will be receiving a medal of appreciation for his actions by the community. When asked about how he felt receiving it, he was quoted saying “ It is my duty to help protect the people of Detroit and I am happy to have assisted the Detroit police department with their case.”_

Cole scrolled down and froze when he saw the picture attached to the article. He recognised who Perkins is. This was the very same person that his dad had punched all those months ago. He remembered his dad mentioning about some asshole named Perkins who was taking over his case and mishandling it and treating the victims of the human trafficking ring poorly. Now that he knows who Perkins is, he started accessing the Detroit Police database to further look into Perkins file. After a few hours of looking through the files, Cole groaned in frustration. The guy was clean, there was no info about anything. He had no criminal records except for roughing up a few criminals who were in his care but the FBI had let it slide because of him being talented in what he does.

Cole was about to give up when another name caught his attention. Rupert. He clicked on the file and read it. Agent Perkins was assigned on a missing person case for a teenage boy named Rupert Travis who went missing at his family’s farm in October. He was never found but the case was deemed solved as they had just labelled it as a rebellious teenager running away from home. Cole felt sick to his stomach. If what Connor said was true then the FBI would have a sick and corrupted man on their force who was withholding information and murdered an innocent teenager.

Cole was trying to calm himself down when he heard the door unlock and Sumo barking as he trots to the front door. Hank was in the doorway taking his coat off and shooing Sumo away from the door before hanging it. He walked to the living room and saw Cole using his laptop on the living room couch. He was about to chastise his son for using his laptop again but held back when he saw Cole looking distraught. “ What’s the matter son?”

Cole told Hank what Connor had overheard from Amanda and showed him his discovery on the missing person case to him. Hank looked through it carefully and commended on his son’s ace detective skills but still smacked him on the head once he was done reading through it for accessing a confidential police file. “ I’ve been looking through his guardian’s file as well. Amanda Stern used to house an orphan boy named Ralph who went missing years ago before she took in Connor and Collin. Apparently, he was filed for running away from home and the case was closed afterwards. Seemed really similar to Perkins case as well. They might be connected somehow.” Hank said in deep thought. “ I don’t like where this is going kid, keep a close eye on Connor and make sure he’s alright.” Cole nodded in agreement. He just hopes that Connor and Nines wouldn’t end up being a closed case file with all the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ I didn't expect to get this much readers who are into this fic but here we are! Thanks for reading this far into the story! I'll do my best to update the story but it might be slow because of who I am as a person (lol) and my new semester has begun ;w; but don't worry, I'm not that cruel to completely abandon this fic. I'd like to see it through till the finish just like all of you. Happy readings!(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ


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